Process of making welt insoles



1953 A. R. RIDDERSTROM PROCESS OF MAKING WELT INSOLES Filed June 29, 1951 INVENTOR. fl MM?" Patented Feb. 3, 1953 2,627,079 raoosss or MAKING WELT INSOLES Andrew'lt. Ridderstrom, Nahant, Mass, assignor to Prime Manufacturing Company; Lynn, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application June 29, 1951, Serial No. 234,366

This invention comprises a new and improved process for making a welt insole providing a particularly strong sewing rib in a channeled ole, a rib of such character that it may be formed if desired in a relatively thin sole blank.

Heretofore welt insoles formed with a channeled sewing rib have required selected and expensive leather in order to insure substantial tensile strength in the upturned lip, and this has been true even though the lip has been reinforced with gem duck or otherwise.

The present invention contemplates forming the channel by cutting outwardly and downwardly through the upper surface of the sole so that an inwardly facing shoulder is provided when the channe1 lip is turned upwardly and outwardly. This shoulder provides a solid and firm abutment against which is placed a core of tough stiff fibrous material. The core is made substantially coextensive with the lip and rests upon the bottom of the channel. The lip and core are then united and consolidated in a compact sewing rib by an adhesive cover strip or tape which is secured to the face of the sole on both sides of the channel as well as to the core and the lip.

In the construction above described the core is of considerable strength in itself, and being supported and held in position against the solid inwardly directed shoulder, it provides a lip which resists the outward tension of the lasted upper with remarkable tenacity. Since the core is held securely in place and rests upon the bottom of the channel, it cannot be displaced outwardly without tearing the whole solid material of the sole. The sewing rib so constructed has another important advantage in that the core prevents guttering or the formation of a depression which often appears in the inner face of an insole during wear and which is regarded as a serious blemish to ood shoemaking.

These and other features of th invention will be best understood and appreciated from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective partly in section on a somewhat enlarged scale, and

Fig. 2 is a similar view of the strip material employed in constructing the rib.

In producing the welt insole herein illustrated, a leather sole blank IU of suitable grade and thickness is first selected. In general it may be said that this blank may be 1 or 2 irons thinner than blanks heretofore required for the same grade of shoe. The blank is then channeled 1 Claim. (01.12-146) about its margin by a cut extending obliquely downwardly and outwardly forming a lip ..II which is subsequently turned upwardly in the usual manner. The operations of channeling and up turning may be readily effected by machinery now available for those operations. It will be noted that when the lip I I is turned up, the base of the channel provides an inwardly directed shoulder supported by the full thickness of the insole feather.

Having formed the channel and turned the lip as above described, a rectangular core I2 is inserted progressively in the channel with its bottom edge resting upon the bottom of the channel and with its outer face in contact with the inner face of the lip II and the base of the channel. The core I2 herein shown is generally rectangular in shape and may be formed of any suitable tough fibrous material such, for example, as folded craft paper. It is of a width coextensive with the height of the upturned lip II so that the upper edge of the core and the lip are substantially flush.

When the core I2 has been inserted and firmly bedded down upon the bottom of the channel, the core and lip II are enclosed within a flexible cover strip I 3-H which may be a tape of duck or other textile fabric preferably coated with a pressure-sensitive adhesive. This cover consolidates the core and lip into a stiff laminated upstanding rib to which the over-lasted margin of the upper of a welt shoe may be secured with full assurance that the rib will withstand all lasting strains imposed upon it. The outer portion I 3 of the cover is adhesively united to the outer face of the lip II and to the feather of the insole, extending preferably flush with its outer edge. The inner portion M of the cover is adhesively united to the inner face of the core and to the bottom face of the channel, preferably extending inwardly beyond the inner edge of the channel. The cover of course embraces the upper edge of the laminated rib and holds the core positively at all times in position against the bottom of the channel and in a position wherein any strain upon it is backed up by the solid material of the insole.

The cover may be applied simultaneously with the insertion of the core or after the core has been placed. Preferably it is included in a composite ribbing strip of the character shown in Fig. 2. This is prepared by longitudinally folding the tape which forms the cover and uniting it to one side of the core I2. As herein shown, the portion of the cover I3 which is to be wrapped over the top of the core and lip is attached to one side face of the core and extends above it, while the portion M which is to be attached to the channel bottom is folded upwardly and extends only a short distance higher than the top of the rib. The ribbing strip shown in Fig. 2 may be applied rapidly and conveniently in a single progressive operation starting with the heel seat on one side of the sole and progressing forwardly around the forepart of the sole and back to the heel seat on the other side. In passing about the toe the inner portion M of the tape will be pleated as indicated in Fig. 1.

Having thus disclosed my invention and described in detail a preferred embodiment thereof, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

A process of making welt insoles characterized by the steps of channeling an insole blank to form an inwardly directed shoulder, turning up the channel lip, and then progressively laying against the inner face of the lip the exposed flat face of the core of a composite ribbing strip that has a rectangular core of tough flexible material and a ANDREW R. RIDDERSTROM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,026,225 Rollins May 14, 1912 2,355,383 Wright Aug. 8, 1944 2,424,428 Ayers July 22, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 309,523 Great Britain Apr. 12, 1929 

